Ice Cream Man Power Pop and More (PROUDLY) presents: The Sharks.

A new twist for the "Ice Cream Man" today, the very first release in what will hopefully be the first of many digital releases under the title of "Ice Cream Man Power Pop and More presents......"

To kick it all off, I have chosen Brixtons ultimate Punk/Power Pop band "The Sharks" and selected 14 songs from their vast collection of music for your listening pleasure.  This band will blow the bloody doors off with their upbeat, melodic punky power pop!

The purpose of these releases is to promote the bands beyond the realms of the blog and get this music out to as many people as possible, and, for our own pleasure, of course.  Enjoy!

Many thanks to Paul Harvey, Davey Cane, Robbie Butcher and Will Udall of The Sharks for their kind co-operation with this first release.

You can download the album FREE or for a name your price fee here:

 Ice Cream Man Records Bandcamp

Contact, befriend, follow, like and love The Sharks here: Facebook

Visit The Sharks Bandcamp page to find the whole catologue of their amazing music here: http://thesharks.co

Singles round up.

In my attempt to catch up with myself after 3 weeks of no internet, I am going to round up all the singles that I have been sent in the last few weeks, starting off with this one from The Sensibles, which I featured last year and also finished in the joint number one spot with Bang 74.  Why am I featuring it again?  Well, the band have now decided to make the single available for FREE or a name your price fee. I absolutely love this EP and now you can too.  Go get it here: Bandcamp 

Contact, befriend, follow, like and love The Sensibles here: Facebook

Spires - Sterling

Now, if you like a little pop/psyche, then this one should certainly appeal to you, full of, well, pop and psyche, and done beautifully too!

Spires are a band from Brooklyn, New York formed in November 2012. Initially the home recording project of 22 year- old Matt Stevenson, the band has become more of a collaborative effort and now includes Andy Davis (guitar), Jack Collins (bass), and Ethan Snyder (drums). A follow up single to "Sterling" will be released in late February. For a list of upcoming shows visit the Spires Facebook page here: Facebook  Find the download here: Bandcamp

The Smoggers - Breaking Your Boots With The Smoggers

Another one of our favourites on the blog is The Smoggers, freakbeat, gargage psyche at its very best!

Truly the Finest Amazing Fuzzed Out Trash that you are going to find on a 7” TODAY!!! 
With Four Hyper Psycho tracks (each one under 2 minutes) you are going to be Breaking more than your Boots when you slap this rekkid on and have your own Beat A Go Go!  I'd call it Hard Core Garage!! 
Of course it’s recorded in MONO under deft production by none other than That Maniac Mike Mariconda !!! 

Contact, follow, befriend, like and love The Smoggers here: Facebook

Download the EP here: Bandcamp  400 7" singles were released for this, 200 in black vinyl and 200 in purple vinyl, all numbered, so if like me you love your vinyl, grab one at the brilliant KOTJ records here: KOTJ Records

Axolotl Daydream - Axolotl Daydream

Now, do we call this a mini album or an extended extended play?  It doesn't really matter, it is free to download so just go and get it, this is some pretty sweet, melodic power pop from Salem, Oregon featuring father and son team Tim and Isaac King, Tim is the father who does the guitars and vocals and Isaac is the son, who coincidentally laid down these drums at the tender age of 11!!!!

Go get the 7 tracks FREE here: Bandcamp

Contact, befriend, follow, like and love Axolotl Daydream here: Facebook

Kevin Lee &The Kings - Breakout

Kevin Lee & The Kings lean on the rockier side of Power Pop with some chunky guitars, big hooks and driving beats pushing the songs forward nicely and are great to rock out to.

The songs on the album are extremely well written and produced to a very high standard and sometimes move at a pace that may make you think the songs are about something other than heart break, however, listening to the lyrics, these are very much songs of loss, love and despair.

They say an artist has to suffer for their art, and to produce an album like "Breakout," with its lyrical content, you can only imagine, but as far as producing a top quality album with some really touching, meaningful lyrics, Kevin Lee has certainly achieved that and we have gained an album of songs written with real passion and sincerity, not to mention energy.

On "Breakout" Kevin Lee and The Kings create classic, strong guitar rock/power pop with a modern edge.  The rebellious "Burn it Down" gives listeners the confidence to face whatever life throws at them. And, from "Gold Digger" with it's quirky low-key verse to the ultra catchy "Too Little Too Late," Lee's songs stay in your head and keep you coming back for more.

Sell music on Amazon at ReverbNation.com

Contact, befriend, follow, like and love Kevin Lee and The Kings here: Facebook

The album is available here: cdbaby

Official website: http://www.kevinleeonline.com

The Ice Cream Men - Change is Gonna Come

"The Ice Cream Man presents The Ice Cream Men"......was the first thing that came into my head when I stumbled across the name of this band from  Metuchen, New Jersey, I just hoped that they wouldn't dissapoint when I listened to them and I am very pleased to say that they didn't.

I find it absolutely amazing that with such a great name and great tunes that they managed to evade me for so long, but no longer.

"Change is Gonna Come" was unleashed in 2010 and is chock full of poppy, well written songs and tunes and quite why this band aren't more well known is beyond me?  The arrangements are first class with a subtle sax and piano drifting into the fantastic album opener "Cut an Apple" which sways along with a real bouncy summery feeling, in fact the whole album has that warmth too.  Other stand out tracks are "Ruby Red Eyes" "Not Speaking" "Maybe On Monday" although it is quite fair to say that there is no weak track on this album, it is an absolute stomper of an album that doesn't fail to please on any level.

Free embed music player from ReverbNation.com

The band have made some of the tracks from this album available for free download on reverbnation, in fact, most of the album is there, but if you would like to support the band and get your hands on a physical CD copy of the band, then head on over to the bands facebook page and drop them a message.

Recommended if you like Squeeze, XTC, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers.

Contact, befriend, follow, like and love The Ice Cream Men here: Facebook

Visit the bands Reverbnation page for some downloads and to hear more: http://www.reverbnation.com/icecreammen

Jeremy Porter & The Tucos - Partner In Crime

Jeremy Porter & The Tucos, from Detroit, have released an album that encompasses everything that is great about music.  The band display a real passion for Power Pop in the vein of Cheap Trick, but they don't fear to wander through the other styles that they are passionate about too.  You may think that for a band to take these steps into such a diversity of styles could leave the band with an album in dissaray, but you would be wrong, this flows beautifully and keeps the listener interested and mesmerised within the diversity within the grooves.

Jeremy Porter grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and as a member of one of the first punk bands in the area, The Regulars, Jeremy learnt, at the age of 16, what a rock bar smells like.

By the lates 80's he was living in Detroit and playing at clubs all across the midwest and for two decades he would front bands touring and recording the states with bands such as Slugbug, The Offramps, Fidrych and more.

In 2010 Jeremy released his first solo album, "Party Of One" on Toronto's prestigious indie label "Magwheel Records" and toured the US and Canada extensively.

Jeremy Porter - Guitar, Vocals, Songs

Jason Bowes - Bass

Gabriel Doman - Drums

The more I play this record, the more I admire the band for playing what they love playing and not just slipping into the shoe that fits, even though every shoe seems to fit perfectly!

Learn how to make a free Electronic Press Kit

Contact, befriend, follow, like and love the band here: Facebook

Visit the bands excellent website here to buy the album, hear the back catologue and more information: http://www.thetucos.com

The album is also available here:  AMAZON  CDBABY 

The band have several shows coming up in the Michigan area, so if you are in the vacinity, be sure to check them out!

The Jac - Record Store

After some problems with my internet connection after relocating 300 meters up the road, I am finally back in business, anyone reading in Sweden, think carefully before choosing your broadband supplier!!!

Kicking things back into gear on "Ice Cream Man Power Pop and More" is one of my favourite bands at the moment, The Jac, with their latest offering "Record Store."

Regular readers will know that the band is made up of members from Australia, USA and Sweden who send music files to each other through cyber space and eventually deliver some fantastic pop nuggets for our delight and pleasure.

Needless to say the, The Jac, have this down to a very fine art as those of you that invested in the "Faux Pas" album already know, and this latest EP continues the trend of fine music for the band.

The four tracks that make up this EP meanders through different genres (if you like to pigeon hole things) and not only delivers the classic sound of The Jac's Power Pop influences but also dips into a bit of electronica and country and their rendition of these styles is tastefully done and fun, bloody good fun!

You won't find Joe, Herb and Stefan in the same room at the same time, here is Joe in a room at some time!

The band have commenced recording the next album which is tentatively titled, "Whether I'm Arthur or Martha" which I personally am very much looking forward to.

In the mean time........

Download the EP for a "Name Your Price" fee here: Bandcamp

Contact, befriend, follow, like and love The Jac here: Facebook

If The Jac are new to you and you like what you hear, don't forget to check out the rest of the bands back catologue on Bandcamp too.

Radio Days - Get Some Action

Italy's "Radio Days" know a thing or two about Power Pop as this album very clearly demonstrates, their harmony laden songs are firmly rooted in the sixties with the melodies, riffs and jangly guitars, but they also have the edginess of New Wave Punk in there too making the music exciting and energetic.

I have been lucky enough to have this album for a few weeks now, it really is an infectious sound that the band have created here and it is absolutely no wonder that the band are being lauded as one of the best Power Pop acts around at the moment by folk such as Bruce Brodeen of Not Lame Records/Pop Geek Heaven blog, who obviously knows whats what!

Radio Days are:

Dario Persi: guitar, vocals
Omar Assadi: guitar, backing vocals
Mattia Baretta: bass, backing vocals
Paco Orsi: drums

The band have plied their music all over Europe, playing gigs with the likes of Paul Collins, Kurt Baker, Rubinoos, Marky Ramone to name a few and they certainly deserve to sit beside those names as equals, this is bloody good stuff!

The album is now available to pre-order in all formats (Vinyl, CD, Digital) and with various packages including T-Shirts, stickers etc.  The official release date is 6th of March when all pre-orders will start shipping, so don't delay, "Get Some Action!"

Pre-order "Get Some Action" in all formats here: Bandcamp

Contact, befriend, follow, like and love Radio Days here: Facebook

Don't forget the check out the bands previous album "C'est La Vie" too which is also fantastic!

"Sleep It Off" from Radio Days "C'est La Vie."